Pelley, 34, cringed and began to cry as Judge Roland W. Chamblee announced the guilty verdicts about 9:30 p.m.

PelleyÂ?s wife, Kim, sobbed as she came to the defense table to hug Pelley as Chamblee polled the jurors individually to confirm the verdicts. Pelley then whispered into his wifeÂ?s ear as the two cried and held hands.

Pelley was handcuffed and taken into custody after spending a few minutes inside an empty courtroom with his wife, sister and lawyers.

Despite the lack of physical evidence, the jury determined Pelley, as a 17-year-old, used a shotgun to kill his father, the Rev. Robert Pelley, 38; stepmother, Dawn, 32; and stepsisters, Janel, 8, and Jolene, 6.

Sentencing is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 15. Pelley faces up to 260 years in prison.

The prosecution argued Pelley committed the crimes inside the familyÂ?s Lakeville home during a 20-minute window after pre-prom visitors had left and before leaving to pick up his date.

The prosecution prevailed despite the challenges of a 17-year-old circumstantial case that was filed by a previous administration.

Â?We knew we had an uphill battle the whole way because of the age of the case,Â? Schaffer said. Â?I think more than anything else itÂ?s kind of a vindication for the families and the victims.Â?

The defense was firm in its belief that the lack of evidence would lead to PelleyÂ?s acquittal.

Â?Two weeks ago I was asked why I didnÂ?t request a change of venue in this case and I said it was because I believed the people of St. Joseph County would be fair and judge the case on the facts,Â? said Alan Baum, PelleyÂ?s lead attorney from Woodland Hills, Calif. Â?Now IÂ?m sad that I said that. This is not fair.

Â?This is absurd. ThereÂ?s no evidence,Â? Baum said. Â?IÂ?m speechless. I donÂ?t have anything more to say.Â?

In his closing argument, Baum adopted the puzzle theme of the prosecution, pulling out a CSI-themed jigsaw puzzle and placed only four pieces in front of the jury.

Baum said the pieces represented the four victims, but a lack of evidence left the rest of the box empty.

Schaffer responded by saying Pelley was the big piece that would complete the picture.

The three-day-long deliberations were the longest those familiar with local courts could remember in St. Joseph County in the last 20 years.

The longer deliberations dragged on, the better the prosecution felt about its chances for conviction.

Â?We gave it shot and fortunately we gave it a good shot, Schaffer said.

Schaffer said the case succeeded because Â?the witnesses were so solid on the time line. It was the telling point with this case.Â?

Schaffer said the key witness was Matt Miller, a friend of PelleyÂ?s who was adamant that PelleyÂ?s car was at home at 5:15 when Pelley told police he had left before 5 p.m.

Â?It was pretty obvious (Pelley) was the only one who could have done it and we proved that to the jury with the time frame and they believed it,Â? Schaffer said.

St. Joseph County police assistant chief John Botich, who was the lead investigator on the Pelley case, described the verdicts as bittersweet.

Â?I always hoped it would go forward,Â? Botich said. Â?I think it needed to be tried. IÂ?m glad itÂ?s over. I waited 17 years for this. IÂ?m glad for the families to have closure.Â?

PelleyÂ?s local counsel, Andre Gammage, said the defense will look into an appeal of the verdicts.

Gammage, looking grim, said the wait for verdicts was difficult for Pelley and his family.

Â?ThereÂ?s no way anyone can be prepared for this,Â? Gammage said of Pelley. Â?And he wasnÂ?t and neither was his family. ... He knew it was possible it would happen and he might not see his young child (a boy of 9) again.Â?

After Schaffer conducted his media interviews in the foyer of the courthouse, he met his wife, Andrea, for a tearful embrace. St. Joseph County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak then walked over to offer a congratulatory handshake.

Â?You did a great job,Â? Dvorak said.

Â?Thanks, boss,Â? Schaffer responded.

Â?Justice was served,Â? Dvorak said. Â?ItÂ?s difficult for both families, JeffÂ?s present family, and difficult for the victimsÂ? family. This young man made a very poor choice to kill his family and now justice is served.Â?

The guilty verdict comes four months before Dvorak is up for reelection, but the prosecutor said the verdict has little to do with politics.

Schaffer thanked all the people who worked on the case or contributed from his office, the police and the people of Lakeville who cooperated with authorities.

Â?All along everyone was looking for one big piece of the puzzle,Â? commented Schaffer. Â?And the way we presented the case was the opposite that the big piece was missing and that Jeff was the only one there.Â?